That Hat
by Hobbit of Narnia
Summary: From the first day Tadashi bought his signature black ball cap he loved it. Hiro, however, found it silly. Series of fluffy one-shots leading up to Tadashi's death. Hamada brotherly bond. No slash.
1. I Hat Hate

**Disclaimer:** I fail to see how anyone could think I own San Fransokyo and its inhabitants as they belong to Disney and Marvel.

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"That hat!" Hiro said staring at a black baseball cap that sat atop Tadashi's head. He sat up a bit with the covers up to his neck and his eyes showed signs of slight exhaustion.

"Do you like it?" Tadashi said as he walked over to his side of the room.

"How about if I say this: it's not the best looking hat but it looks perfect on you," Hiro said with a smirk playing across his face, "It makes your ears look bigger and your face longer and-" Tadashi shook his head as he removed his blazer and laid it across his bed.

"What?" Hiro said with a facade of seriousness, "You always tell me to be truthful."

"And to stay quiet if you have nothing encouraging to say," he cocked his eyebrow and gave a faint smile.

"Double standards, my brother," Hiro joked as Tadashi made his way over to the bed, "but anyway, how did everything go?"

"Well, I bought this hat and you know I don't spend my money on just anything," he said sitting at the foot of the bed.

"You've been accepted!" Hiro nearly shouted in delight for his brother. He knew how much getting into San Fransokyo Institute of Technology meant to Tadashi and hoped with all his might that he would be able to attend. If he was not to go to SFIT not only would Tadashi's heart be broken but so also would his brother's.

"Yes, I can't believe it! Callaghan loved my creation," Tadashi beamed as he whipped out his acceptance letter from his jean pocket and handed it to his little brother.

"Of course he loved it," Hiro said while studying the paper, "I wish I could have been there."

"I do too but it's fine," the elder brother still trembling with excitement, "You're sick and Aunt Cass would _kill_ me if I made you come with us especially out in the rain."

"Yes, she would," Hiro laughed thinking of what his aunt would do to his brother. His laughing turned into a fit of congested coughing and Tadashi rushed out of the room. He came back with a concerned look and a glass of water held out towards his brother. He moved one of his hands over Hiro's forehead.

"Warm," he whispered softly as Hiro took the cup, "Do you have any chills? How do you feel?"

"No. I'm all right, really," Hiro managed after taking a small drink, "It isn't as bad as Aunt Cass probably made it sound."

"You could do with another dose of medicine by this time," he said as he glanced at a clock that read 10:23 PM, "Aunt Cass decided to go to bed but I can make you something simple to eat if you're up for it."

"Sure," Hiro answered, "thanks Tadashi."

Tadashi made his way out of the room as quietly as possible, closing the door with a barely audible click. Hiro lifted the bed covers as soon as he figured his brother would be down the stairs. He was dressed in his regular clothes along with muddy sneakers. He rushed over to his computer but heard the noise he was afraid of – the door handle moved slightly – and he closed his eyes knowing what he was in for.

"Hiro!"

He turned around to face the wrath of his brother, "Yes, Tadashi?" he tried to smile in a way that normally made his brother go easier on him but Tadashi only glanced over his clothing and moved him to the side before looking at what he was doing.

"Bot fighting!" Tadashi took off his new hat and ran his hand over his face and through his hair before setting it back on his head, "Hiro, how many times do I have to tell you: it's _illegal!_"

"But-"

"So you fake sickness to go bot fighting?"

"No, of course not!"

"That's even better. Do you want to get yourself killed, bonehead?" he said in a tone Hiro only heard when he was very concerned then he muttered under his breath, "Bot fighting at night in _the rain_. Unbelievable."

"Tadashi, I'm sorry I didn't go with you instead-"

"That's not it," Tadashi sighed as he rubbed his eyes with two fingers before looking up with a solemn expression that made Hiro ashamed to look directly into his eyes,"You have no idea how hard it is watching after you. If something _ever_ happened – I'd never forgive myself."

Hiro stared at his muddied shoes and couldn't think of a thing to say, he just stood there waiting for something to happen. Anything. Tadashi noticed how uncomfortable his brother looked, his arms just hanging at his sides, afraid, it seemed, to look up at him, and he felt terrible for becoming so angry with him. He did the only thing he knew would help; he walked over bringing his brother into a hug, "Hiro, I'm sorry. I'm sorry if you think I'm being too hard on you but I couldn't imagine losing you to something that could be easily prevented. You mean the world to me and," he paused feeling water seeping through his clothes, "you're soaked!"

"I didn't have enough time to change," he sniffed and shivered as he clumsily folded his arms.

"You better get out of those wet things before your cold turns for the worse," Tadashi said softly while while heading towards the door, "I'll go make you some tea to warm you up. Is there anything else you want?"

Hiro stayed silent for a while before answering, "I'm sorry ...and I promise I will never go out when I'm sick. Just..." he looked at his brother pleadingly, "please, please don't tell Aunt Cass."

"And make her worry even more about you?" he said in a joking manner which changed to something more serious, "Of course I won't. But if you do this again you better believe I will."

Hiro nodded slowly then he felt a bit of bravery inch back inside, "You know what?"

"What?" Tadashi asked, his hand resting on the edge of the door.

"It's hard to take anything you say seriously with that hat on," Hiro grinned hoping for some lighthearted remark from his sibling.

"If you weren't sick I'd..." he began with a smile spreading across his lips.

"-still be the best brother a guy could have," Hiro finished and added, "honestly, you are."

His playful smile disappeared when he heard those words from his brother. He was in complete surprise but he was glad that maybe, just maybe, he was doing something right. 

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Thanks for reading! Please review and watch for the next chapter. :-)  
HoN


	2. II To the Rescue

Author's Note: A sincere 'Thank you' to everyone who has given such encouraging reviews!  
Disclaimer: San Fransokyo and its canon inhabitants belong to none other than Disney/Marvel.

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_That hat._ How Hiro wished he caught a glimpse of it earlier! All he could do was stare at the ground as he slowly made his way over to the spot they agreed to meet each other. He took a quick glance about him to see if his brother was anywhere near but only saw unfriendly faces. He just looked back down at his sneakers beating against the cement and pulled his backpack up casually as if it didn't bother him.

His first day back to school wasn't as bad as he expected. He was placed in all the high classes the school was able to offer and his teachers were, as usual, impressed by the young boy's mental capabilities. From the looks of amazement in their eyes he caught glimpses of fear and knew they were wondering if _they_ would be able to keep up with _him_. Still, even if most of his teachers seemed to welcome him into their classrooms the students, as always, felt that he was a threat. A threat that had to be dealt with as soon as possible. Every year it was like that even if Hiro tried his best to keep from showing off – it never worked. So, his first day back also came with a punch to the nose which he tried not to notice.

Just as he began to believe that he'd be able to leave the grounds with only a bruise he heard a voice calling unintelligible things from behind. He chose to keep moving, still staring down at the ground, hoping that whoever-it-was would stop and let him alone. That was not to be the case as pounding steps came towards him and a jarring tug pulled him off his feet; it nearly collapsed his legs from under him.

"So you think you're smarter than me again?" the terrible voice asked. Hiro turned casually and tried to breathe calmly knowing his first day wasn't over yet.

"What gave you that idea, Kenji?" he said in as innocent a voice he could muster while keeping his eyes from meeting the student's.

"It shows," his brows furrowed and a nasty expression came over his face before he decided to back away."Don't you _dare_ try to show me up again," he stared intensely at Hiro before deciding his message got through.

When he saw him turn to leave Hiro muttered, "Well, it's not like I can help it..."

"What did you say?" came a more threatening tone from Kenji. The students that remained turned to watch without caring what might happen to the much smaller boy.

"I said... I said umm," stuttered Hiro with his eyes darting to Kenji in front of him to the students that stared at the two of them, "I said... 'I'm not perfect.'"

"I don't believe you," Kenji said, coming closer, a little too close. At that moment, out of the corner of his eye, and to his relief, Hiro spotted his brother's cap.

"Tadashi!" he cried. His eyes met his brother's as he came running towards him. When he arrived by his side the "tough" student was nowhere to be found and Hiro saw the black cap flip from side to side searching for the culprit before turning the attention to himself.

"Did he hurt you?" were the first words to come from Tadashi's mouth when he grabbed his younger brother's wrist and led him along in a homeward direction.

"No," Hiro said raising his head a little. He saw Tadashi stop and give a questioning look as he searched his face.

"But your nose-"

"Oh that?" said Hiro with a wry smile and a little laugh, "Someone thought it would be fun to punch me during lunch." Tadashi could only shake his head in disbelief.

"That's it. I'm going to talk to someone about this," he said with a hint of anger trailing on his voice as he began to turn away.

"No! You'll make it worse for me," he whispered fiercely as he grabbed hold of Tadashi's satchel. The elder brother heard the words and felt the jolt but couldn't understand – he wished his brother an encouraging environment as possible, which certainly wasn't the case at the moment. He only wanted to do his best to help.

Hiro stubbornly held on to his brother's satchel and walked forward a bit whispering, "Sometimes I wish I was _more_ normal. Like you." When he saw his brother walking willingly next to him he dropped his hand. Passerbys cut between the two as they steadily moved forward.

"Hiro, don't say that," he said after he was able to get closer and within earshot.

"Why?" he kicked a small stone on the sidewalk as they both moved along, "At least if I were normal I'd have friends and I wouldn't be the main target for all the bullies."

"You wouldn't like being like me," Tadashi said fixing his gaze on the road ahead of the two of them.

"That's true," Hiro said and his brother was taken by surprise, "If I were like you I'd be pushy, bossy, annoying, and have bad tastes in hats."

"Oh, Hiro," Tadashi shook his head and chuckled. The light signaled them to move forward and Hiro smiled as he kicked the little stone across the crosswalk.

"Anyway," he continued as soon as they reached the other side of the street, "- I just want you to be yourself even if no one else appreciates it. You were born _you_ so don't let anyone pull you down because of it. You're a remarkable kid and they know that," he looked at his brother who was softly kicking a smooth rock as if it were a soccer ball, maneuvering around people with complete focus on getting the stone where he wanted it to go, "Are you even listening?"

"Huh?" his eyes shot up from the ground, "yeah, yeah I was."

"Sure," Tadashi rolled his eyes and shifted his satchel.

"I really was," he stooped to pick up the stone and placed it in his pocket, "You said what you always say, 'Be yourself'. I already do that –"

"I know," he sighed and stopped to let others pass him so that Hiro could walk alongside him, "But can you just – Just promise me you won't change to make people like you."

"Me, change?" his eyes widened almost in shock at his brother's suggestion, "That's like saying you'll throw away that hat."

"So," Tadashi smiled, "It's a promise then?"

Hiro looked into his brother's eyes not needing to say a word and Tadashi nodded softly as they continued on their way home.

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Thanks for reading!  
HoN


	3. III Flying Cats

Disclaimer: Characters and setting belong to Disney/Marvel and not myself.  
A/N: This chapter has taken forever to show up, I know. Hopefully after this one the rest will be written much faster.

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That dark hat rested patiently on the edge of the table as moonlight mixed with the city's brightness streamed through the half-lowered blinds. The window's offering of light was dimmed by a lamp that had stayed up past its normal time for a third time that week.

"Okay. Just – one – more... There! " a faint voice whispered. "Mochi's a good kitty," Hiro praised the tolerant cat as he patted him twice on the head and scratched under his furry chin. When he heard a rumble begin within the calico fur ball he left his bed and went for a controller laying on his desk. After weeks of hard work, which included several experiments with cat manipulation, he was now ready. A hint of mischief mixed with delight made its way onto his smile when he pressed the button.

Mochi slowly gravitated upwards and his eyes widened when, instead of the warm covers beneath him, he saw the bed grow further away from his paws. Hiro got up from his chair and did his best to calm him by giving a reassuring pet while he was floating uncomfortably. Mochi was a brave cat and was used to doing strange things for his people, mainly the two brothers, but it didn't matter; he didn't know how to use his new abilities properly. When he moved towards Tadashi's side of the room the rocket boots, almost having a mind of their own, knocked into the divider then the desk, toppling over the various items covering it which resulted in a loud crash.

Tadashi, sleeping in the opposite direction of the flying cat, was startled by the the sudden noise and his eyes shot open. Thinking someone had broken into their home, he jumped out of bed – though, quite unsuccessfully. Somehow, the sheets had entangled his feet and he stumbled against one of his bookcases. His hand caught hold of a shelf but it was built for books, not people, and snapped under his weight leaving him and mounds of books to gravity.

Hiro stared wide-eyed at the fallen Tadashi and quickly clicked a button to turn off Mochi's boots. The cat landed on the bed with a soft thud. He made his way over to his brother who was sitting against the shelf with the various-sized books and one leg still seized by the sheet. If it wasn't 4:46 in the morning Hiro would have been in tears from laughter. As it was, he did his best to hold back a smile as he tried to help his older brother up. It didn't work. Tadashi saw right through the facade and instead of grabbing hold of his kid brother's hand he gave him a shove.

"Obviously _you're_ okay," Hiro mumbled as he straightened himself.

Tadashi picked himself up and tossed the sheet back on his bed where the cat was desperately shaking its paws. "What were you doing with Mochi?" he finally spoke. He took a closer look and added, "Actually, don't tell me."

Hiro decided to anyway, "Well, everything was finished so I decided to test them out... the rocket boots," he looked up uneasily at his brother who was removing them from the paws of their cat, "which wasn't such a good idea." Tadashi agreed silently. He didn't feel like he needed to say anything more; Hiro already knew what he was thinking. He placed the four boots into Hiro's arms and looked at his clock just as its alarm went off.

"5:00?" Hiro said puzzled when he put the boots on his desk.

"Oh yeah," he said when he remembered and rubbed the back of his neck when he felt the lack of sleep coming to him. "I have a group project due soon and my team was planning on finishing this week," he turned off the beeping. "Our prof is letting us use the lab starting at 5:30," he started getting dressed,"we could really use the extra time..." He left the room for several minutes and came back with combed hair. "Aunt Cass said she'd be home sometime later today," he slid his arms through the sleeves of his blazer. "Do you think you'll be fine by yourself?" He reached beside the mess on the ground and pulled out his satchel, "You could always come along."

"No, I think I'll stay here" he said without giving much thought to the idea and took up the controller and started tinkering with it. "I'll do some more tests before school. Mochi'd like that. Wouldn't you?" He looked at the Japanese bobtail who had jumped on his bed, his ears went back and he glared.

"Okay, but you are always welcome on camp-" Tadashi reached up to shift his hat but didn't feel anything. He looked up and it wasn't there, his brow furrowed. He went over to where it was last but didn't see it.

"What's wrong?"

"My hat," he said. "I put it right here when I came home-" He got on his knees and looked under the bed. Hiro decided to help since his brother was so used to wearing that hat when he went out, at least when he went to "nerd school". In a way he disliked it for that reason. It reminded of his brother, sure, and he liked seeing it because if _it_ was home it meant _Tadashi_ was too but it was when he didn't see it...

He knelt down to search and saw what a disaster Tadashi's side of the room really was; there were books still strewn about one side and on the other were tons of fallen papers and some old projects. Hiro watched the frustration in his brother's eyes as he tried to move the mess gently aside in order to find his hat. Tadashi wasn't exactly a neat freak, on occasion his room was no better than Hiro's, but he did like it best when things were well kept and "organized".

After rummaging under his desk Hiro decided to look behind the nearby table. He couldn't see much of anything so he just reached down and happily felt the bill of the familiar hat. With two fingers he fished it out. It had a bit of dust clinging to it so he shook it off before handing it over to his brother.

"Thanks, where did you find it?" he smiled and shoved it into his bag.

"Behind your table. It probably fell when Mochi was over there," he walked back to his own desk and collapsed in the chair.

"Now, are you sure you don't want to come?" Tadashi asked as he headed towards the doorway. "You might see some awesome tech."

"Bro, I'll be fine," he twirled to face him. "Really."

"If you say so," Tadashi grabbed his helmet and put it under his arm. "Just a few things to remember: don't answer the door, make sure Mochi is fed before you leave, eat something – and not just a pastry – have some fruit. Also, since you're taking the bus don't wait too long or you'll miss it. And-"

"I know, I know," he rolled his eyes, "This isn't the first time I've been alone."

Tadashi laughed and added, almost seriously, "Oh, and please, _please_, don't destroy the house while I'm gone."

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Thanks for reading!  
Elanor


	4. IV Happy Birthday!

A/N: I know. I'm a bad person. Life has gotten the better of me, so writing hasn't been a priority. I PROMISE the next chapter will be up much sooner than the last few, since this one directly leads into it. Also, a huge thanks for every single subscribe and fave!

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Tadashi's hat was gone, as usual. Hiro turned over - the noise sounding louder than it really was – and closed his eyes again, but it didn't matter; his thoughts criss-crossed around in his mind, daring to keep him awake another night.

There were a couple assignments due next week. Essays on... what was it again? Some book, he knew that much. Everyone always called him 'gifted', but being a genius was difficult; he couldn't be exceptional in everything, and this year English wasn't his strongest area, well, spelling anyway. He was good but definitely not _brilliant_, but it wasn't all bad since he could use it as an excuse to get his brother's help. Where was Tadashi anyway?

He propped himself up and squinted at the clock. Just before midnight, and on a Friday too, but then it wasn't so surprising. The last few weeks were always late nights and early mornings for Tadashi. When was the last time he actually _talked_ with his brother? And not just a "Hey" or "Goodnight"? He couldn't remember. College was demanding. He knew that. He didn't want to blame him for being away, and he tried to understand, but deep down he felt like he lost his best friend, and it hurt.

His eyes closed and he began to feel the tug of sleep pulling him in, but he heard something shatter the silence down below. He sat up, slipping his bare feet to the floor and waited on the edge of the bed, looking at the door like it was about to open. It didn't. Instead he heard thumping leading away, downstairs, followed by a frazzled aunt yelling at the cat for knocking down her new lamp, or that's what he thought he heard.

He pulled his newly-frozen feet up from the ground and shoved them under the bed covers. He turned over again and again until he realized that time wasn't going to stop just because he couldn't sleep, even if it was for the third night in a row. So instead of fighting it, Hiro decided to give in by getting up. He switched on his lamp, took out some tools, and brought down a broken robot he'd been meaning to fix - one that he kept putting off: it looked like it would require time, but tonight he had time to spare.

While he was in bed noise wasn't a problem, but now the outside world turned up the volume and became distracting; when he heard a motor grow louder or saw a stray light shine through the blinds his heart jumped, but the noise never made it down the alley and the light always rounded the corner, continuing on its way. After a few times he did his best to ignore it and focus on what he was doing, and it worked. Sometimes. Finally, the 'project' started to do what he originally intended and he found himself yawning, and more than once his eyelids grew heavy. But his mind wasn't quite ready to shut down, so he jolted his head up whenever he felt himself start to drift off. Soon his body gave in to the tug of slumber, and his head slipped forward and onto the desk.

Too soon afterward, it seemed, he heard a click and someone whispering his name from behind while pushing his shoulder.

"No school today, Aunt Cass," he half mumbled with his eyes closed. Instead of hearing steps leading away there was a stubborn voice that wasn't his aunt's.

"Hiro, get up. With your neck like that, you're gonna be sore."

He blinked his eyes open and realized the voice was right. His hand moved to his neck as he turned his chair around. "Tadashi?"

"Hey, sleepyhead."

"It's" he started, and looked at the room saturated in sunlight, "morning. Must've just dozed off or something."

"Fixing your bot?" He pointed towards the mess on Hiro's desk as he got up and yawned.

"Yeahhhh-" His brother's yawn triggered one of his own. "Turns out I put it together wrong. I know, as a genius, I shouldn't admit my faults, but anyway it needs some new – Oh, hey. Um, happy birthday."

"Thanks." Tadashi smiled as he pushed off his shoes.

"Thinking about doing anything?" he asked, but didn't get an answer, only a a strange sound and a groan. Tadashi had fallen back on his bed, with his legs still dangling over the side, and his hat fixed in place on his head. "What, Tadashi?"

The elder brother took a deep breath."No- I don't have anything in mind," he paused, "except sleep."

Hiro opened his mouth to say something but immediately closed it after thinking it through. He kept glancing at his brother, forming the sentence in his head, almost ready to say it out loud, but when he finally let words roll out they weren't what he was thinking. "There's something in the garage you'll think is pretty cool."

"Mmhm."

"Want to see it?"

"Sure, later." He turned on his side, facing away from Hiro.

His voice dropped. "Oh. Okay."

Tadashi stayed in silent motionless for a few minutes, but let out a sigh and Hiro heard the bed creak a little. "Fine, you win." He sat bent over and rubbed his face with both hands, then his eyes, but the younger brother saw his lids still fall heavily.

"You're tired, so-."

"Yes, but, I'm up. And trust me, genius, it better be worth it." Tadashi pushed Hiro's head to the side before they exited the room.

Hiro flipped the switch and the garage staircase light came on, dim but better than nothing. They made it more than halfway down when they heard their Aunt Cass say, "Tadashi, I thought you said you were going to bed." Both looked up to see her blocking out the light from the entrance, coming down a couple steps.

"I was, but Hiro has something he wants me to see."

"A present?" she asked with a wide smile, but Hiro pleaded her with his eyes and her expression abruptly changed to something more serious.

"Well, I better get going. Customers are waiting. Have fun you two," she waved them off and started walking back up but stopped short. "Oh, do you boys want something?"

"No, we're fine." Hiro said, and Tadashi gave a nod.

"Whenever you two want lunch, just tell me."

They both thanked her as she left, and as soon as her shadow disappeared Hiro took his brother's wrist."Okay, I know this is weird, but keep your eyes closed."

He covered his eyes with one hand as his brother led him down the remaining steps. The last of those 'steps' moved from under him and he lurched forward, nearly knocking Hiro down, but he steadied himself – his eyes still closed but his free hand caught hold of the last length of side railing. "That was my skateboard, sorry about that." Hiro kicked it out of the way and moved his brother to the center of the garage.

"Cover your eyes with both hands."

Tadashi did as he was told, and stood with wobbly legs as Hiro seemed to take his time. "Keeping my eyes closed after staying awake for 28 straight hours isn't helping me. If I fall over, asleep, I'll blame you."

"Ooookkkkkayyy" he grunted as he pulled something from behind one of the desks. "Open your eyes."

A big box stood between the both of them and Tadashi was able to guess what it was right away. "This is amazing, wow." He knelt down to take a close rlook. "Thanks. You know, it's exactly what I need for my project. _Exactly._"

"Oh really?" Hiro said and his eyes shifted away from his brother, towards the ground, as he folded his arms.

"You got into my computer again, didn't you?"

"I had to! I couldn't think of anything."

"Unbelievable."

He rolled his eyes."It's not like I can't guess 'ninjas13'."

Tadashi whispered something about changing his password as he went around the box of the sewing machine, studying it. "You really shouldn't have bought this. This model, it's expensive– how did you pay for it?"

"I have my ways."

"Bot-fights?" He cocked his eyebrow.

"What? No!" Hiro looked up at Tadashi, who kept an unwavering gaze on him, and broke. "Okay. Maybe a _little_."

"Hiro, you said you'd never-"

" - I never said _anything_ about bot-fighting," he said defensively, just trying to set the records straight.

"If you keep this up, bonehead, I'll turn you in to the police."

"Whoa whoa whoa, _dude_! You wouldn't. Would you?"

"Test me."

"Come on, Tadashi!" His eyes grew wide. "I mean, whoever heard of a guy calling the cops on his kid brother?"

"How many times do I have to tell you? One day you're gonna get hurt." He closed his eyes and put one hand on his neck, knowing he'd have to say the same thing he always said. "You don't know who you're dealing with. There are people who do this for a living, and they _do not_ want to lose to a kid your age."

"I'm fine. I can handle myself out there. "

"You're only 13!"

"What do you expect me to do?" He kicked an empty plastic cup to the opposite wall. "Stay bored?"

"I'm sure there are other things."

"Like?"

He scanned the room looking at past hobbies, some complete and others left partially finished after there was no more more interest to pour into them. Amongst the mess of the projects, something caught Tadashi's eye - red and tattered, it peeked out from a box. "What about kites? You always loved flying them and I haven't seen you work on one in a while."

"We always made them _together_." Hiro's frustration and anger got the better of him. "In case you forgot, you're _never_ around anymore. You're never around for anything anymore." He saw Tadashi's eyes draw away from him as the words cut to his heart. At first, he did not feel the least bit sorry. He finally revealed his pain to the one who caused it, after keeping it hidden for so long. But the words, especially the way he said them, started ringing in his head as he saw his brother retreat within himself.

"Tadashi-" his voice cracked in the bitter silence. "I'm – I'm sorry."

"You were right, though," he tried his best to smile but there was something glazed over his tired eyes Hiro wasn't used to seeing. "While I'm still in school, I'll always be busy and I can only try to be around here more. _But,_ I'll try even harder. I promise."

Hiro nodded slightly, unsure of what he could say.

"So," Tadashi cleared his throat. "Since we're already here, what would you say if we made some kites, right now? Like we used to."

"I thought you said you were tired..."

"I am, but _right now_ I don't feel like sleeping. So, go and see if you can get some stuff from Aunt Cass – " he looked up and saw the brim of his hat. "Oh, and can you also take this upstairs?"

Hiro looked down at the ball cap, rougher around the edges, knowing he'd see it around more often.

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Thanks for reading and please review. :)  
Elanor


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